Very flat, scenic and highly-competitive are among the best ways to describe the course for the 5K Run and Walk division of this year’s Ogden Newspapers Classic.

The event, now in its third year, is rapidly becoming one of the highlights of the road racing weekend for the 29th annual Ogden Newspapers 20K Run and Walk held in Wheeling.

Howard Corcoran, overall director for the Saturday, May 28 events, also said the entrants in the 5K will once again have the pleasure of running alongside one of America’s all-time favorite road runners.

Bill Rodgers, the one-time ‘‘King of the Roads’’ will limit his participation in Wheeling to the 5K event for the second year in a row.

Rodgers returned to the road-racing circuit shortly before the 2004 5K after he was recovering from a leg injury he sustained during a training run in the fall of 2003.

Boston Billy is easily the most popular road racer ever to compete in the Ogden Classic, having won the 20K here on three occasions, including the inaugural race in 1977.

‘‘Our 5K course is very flat and easy to run,’’ Corcoran pointed out.

‘‘The scenery also makes it a worthwhile experience.’’

After the first two miles, which are part of the 20K course, the runners will make a turn to the right on 33rd Street just past Green’s Doughnuts and head toward the Ohio River.

Once on the Wheeling Heritage Trail, the runners will head back toward downtown Wheeling.

Near Main Street Bank, the course will make a loop up toward Chapline Street and continue along that route until turning left and heading back down 14th Street to the finish line adjacent to WesBanco Arena.

Nearly 300 runners and walkers participated in the initial 5K event held in 2003 and race officials are hoping for another large turnout this year.

Participants in the 5K division will leave the start-finish line at 8:15 a.m.

Chris Corcoran, son of the overall race committee director, will once again serve as the the director for the 5K Run and Walk.

At age 31, Chris Corcoran has been involved with the Ogden Classic as a volunteer worker since his high school days.

For the past several years, he has been part of the crew at the start-finish line.

The former Wheeling Park High and Morehead (Ky.) State athlete has a master’s degree in health education from the West Virginia University Medical Center.

R.J. Nolte was the 5K male run winner in 2004, finishing with a time of 17:17, a good 20 seconds faster than 2003 winner Mark Courtney.

Former Martins Ferry standout Katrina Jones captured the women’s 5K run in a time of 19:43.

Jones’ time was nearly two minutes less than 2003 winner Stephanie Hatfield of Clarksburg.

Randy Davis of Greensburg, Pa. was the 5K Walk winner for the men, while Katherine Ervin of Quaker City won for the women.